Airwave Airlines
History Airwave Airlines was founded on 17 September, 1988 in Sacramento, California. The airline officially commenced operations on 22 January, 1989, and used Sacramento International Airport as its main hub. The airline began operating short-haul flights to and from destinations in California, Nevada, Oregon, and Arizona with 10 brand-new McDonnell Douglas MD-80s. In 1990, as the demand gradually grew, the airline started increasing its orders for MD-80 aircraft, as well as placed orders for the Boeing 737-400, 737-500, and Bombardier CRJ200. Throughout the early 90s, Airwave expanded their services to the Midwest, operating flights to destinations such as Denver, Houston, Dallas, and Kansas city, via Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Phoenix. In 1994, orders were placed for the Airbus A320 and Boeing 757-200. These aircraft were delivered throughout 1995-1997. Also in 1995, the airline purchased 20 secondhand Bombardier Dash 8-200s and began operating feeder services to Las Vegas, Reno, and San Francisco. In 1998, Airwave expanded services to the east coast, travelling to destinations such as Newark, Boston, Baltimore, Atlanta, and Charlotte, via Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, and Seattle. These routes were flown by Airwave's fleets of Airbus A320s, Boeing 737-400s, and 757-200s. In 1999, Airwave expanded services to Canada and Alaska, with flights to Vancouver, Toronto, Halifax, and Anchorage. That same year, the airline placed orders for the Boeing 737-700, which were delivered throughout 2000. In 2001, Airwave placed orders for the Bombardier CRJ700 and Q400 to support the high demand on their already-popular west coast feeder services. These aircraft were delivered throughout 2001-2002. The Q400, surprisingly, became popular with passengers and crew and, as of 2017, with 54 aircraft still operating, the Bombardier Q400 is the second-most popular aircraft behind the McDonnell Douglas MD-83. In 2004, Airwave formed a codeshare agreement with Mexican carrier Sprint Airways and began operating to locations throughout Mexico and the Caribbean. Also, the airline placed orders for the Boeing 737-800 and Embraer E175 and E190, which were delivered throughout 2004-2006. In 2005, Airwave began a fleet overhaul. The airline began retiring their fleets of Boeing 737-400, 737-500, and Bombardier Dash 8-200 aircraft, which were being replaced with newer aircraft such as the Boeing 737-700 and 737-800. During fleet overhaul, the airline placed orders for the Airbus A319 and A321, which were delivered in 2006 and 2007. In 2011, Airwave placed orders for the Boeing 737-900, which were delivered throughout 2011. That same year, Airwave broke their codeshare agreement with Sprint Airways, but continued to independently operate between the US and Mexico. In 2012, Airwave began offering holiday flights between the US and St. Lucia, St. Maarten, and Nassau. These routes were flown by the Boeing 757-200 and Airbus A321. In 2014, Airwave placed orders for the Boeing 737MAX8. That same year, the airline introduced a new livery to replace their old "Midnight Soarin'" livery (1989-2014). The new livery, dubbed "Contrails", consists of a white livery with sky blue waves running down the length of the fuselage, sky blue italicized wording, and a blue tail with white waves. The new livery debuted on Airwave's MD-80 fleets. The first 737MAX8 was delivered in March 2015. The aircraft also debuted with the new "Contrails" livery. In September 2016, the airline placed orders for the newly introduced Bombardier CS100. Deliveries of the CS100 are expected to begin in February 2018. Fleet ''Current'' Airbus A319 (30) Airbus A320 (34) Airbus A321 (22) Boeing 737-700 (38) Boeing 737-800 (42) Boeing 737-900 (26) Boeing 737MAX8 (10, currently on order) Boeing 757-200(31) Bombardier CRJ200 (24) Bombardier CRJ700 (33) Bombardier CRJ900 (17) Bombardier CS100 (3, currently on order) Bombardier Q400 (54) Embraer E175 (28) Embraer E190 (31) McDonnell Douglas MD-80 (65) McDonnell Douglas MD-81 (58) McDonnell Douglas MD-83 (77) McDonnell Douglas MD-88 (52) McDonnell Douglas MD-90 (36) ''Former'' Boeing 737-400 Boeing 737-500 Bombardier Dash 8-200 Accidents and Incidents On 6 September, 2000, Airwave Flight 624, a Boeing 757-200 travelling from Toronto to Newark, suffered a rudder hardover mid-flight. The aircraft lost altitude quickly, but the pilots were able to recover from the dive and make an emergency landing at Memphis International Airport. 12 passengers and crew are injured, no fatalities. On 27 April, 2001, Airwave Flight 6309, a Boeing 737-700 travelling from Sacramento to Albuquerque, had to return to Sacramento after the pilots reported that the right main landing gear failed to retract. The flight landed at the airport with the right gear partially extended and the aircraft was slightly damaged. None of the 121 passengers and crew are injured. On 5 March, 2005, Airwave Flight 1592, a McDonnell Douglas MD-80 flying from New Orleans to Atlanta, broke into two pieces and caught fire after the aircraft touched down too hard. 2 people die in the accident. The aircraft is written off. On 24 August, 2015, Airwave Flight 9520, a Boeing 757-200 travelling from Phoenix to Honolulu, disappeared over the Pacific Ocean en route from San Francisco to Honolulu. 6 survivors were rescued from life rafts from the plane in October 2015. Wreckage from the aircraft was discovered in January 2016. The accident is currently being investigated. On 13 December, 2017, Airwave Flight 8951, an Embraer 190 flying from Portland to Sacramento, landed just short of the runway at Sacramento. The aircraft came unusually close to Interstate 5 while on approach and nearly struck the airport fence before touchdown. According to radar data, the flight was roughly 500 feet below the safe approach height. Category:Airliners